SEC Broken Windows Enforcement Policy - Is There Anything New Here

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TheSEC’sBrokenWindowsEnforcementPolicy:IsthereAnythingNewHere?

DenverG.Edwards

Summary: This article examines the Commission’s BrokenWindows enforcement program andwhether it

should change how compliance professionals think about carrying out their duties. Historically, the

Commissionhasbeenperceivedasmonitoringallareasofthesecuritiesmarkets.BrokenWindowsdoesnot

appear to be a significant shift. Instead, Broken Windows has intensified existing elements of the

Commission’s enforcement program. Compliance personnel need not overreact to the Commission

rebrandingas the toughcopon thebeat,but theyshouldremainvigilantofbusinesspracticeswithin their

organizations,leveragetechnologytomonitortheirorganization’scommercialactivities,andthinkcreatively

aboutwhereandhowviolationsmayoccur.

Intheearly1990s,ifyoudroveacarinNewYorkCityandwerelucky,mencarryingsqueegeessprayedwater

onyourwindshieldanddemandedatip. Ifyouwereunlucky,squeegeemen,astherewereknown,merely

spatonyourwindshield,wipeditoffwithadirtyrag,andthendemandedatip.Subwaycarswere“tagged”

withgraffitiandridersfeltunsafe.ProstitutionandpeepshowslitteredTimesSquare,andupthestreetin

BryantPark,thedrugtradeflourished.

FormerMayorRudyGiulianiandPoliceCommissionerBillBrattonadoptedapolicingstrategyin1994known

as“BrokenWindows” tocombat“qualityof lifecrimes.” Thetheory isthat“whenawindowisbrokenand

someonefixesit,itisasignthatdisorderwillnotbetolerated.But,whenawindowis notfixed,itisasignal

that no one cares, and so breaking more windows cost nothing.” Broken Windows aimed to avoid an

environmentofdisorderthatwouldencouragemoreseriouscrimestoflourishandtosendamessageoflaw

andorder.Noinfractionwastoosmalltobeuncoveredandpunished.

NewYork ismarkedlybetter today than itwas in1994. Thesqueegee-menhavebeenbanished. Subway

carsare cleanandsafedayornight. TimesSquare is home to “GoodMorningAmerica,” andBryantPark

hosts NewYorkFashionWeekinthefallandmoviescreeningsinthesummer.

SecuritiesandExchangeChairwoman,MaryJoWhite,wastheUnitedStatesAttorneyfortheSouthernDistrict

ofNewYorkfrom1993through2002,andshewitnessedNewYork’stransformationunderBrokenWindows.

ChairWhitehassoughttoadapttheBrokenWindowsapproachtoregulationofthesecuritiesmarket.

In speechonOctober9,2013,ChairWhite said that theCommission’senforcementprogram intends tobe

perceived as being “everywhere, pursuing all types of violation of federal securities law, big and small.”

“Even the smallest infractions have victims, and the smallest infractions are very often just the first step

towardbiggerones,”which“canfosteraculturewherelaws areincreasinglytreatedastoothlessguidelines.”

TheCommissionwillbea strongcopon thebeatand theDivisionofEnforcementwillpursuenot just the

biggest frauds, but also violations such as control failures, negligence based offenses and strict liability

offenseswhereintentisnotrequired.

TheBrokenWindowsEnforcementProgram

TheBrokenWindowsenforcementprogramiscomprisedoffiveelements:

Streamline collaboration with the Department of Justice, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority

(FINRA),andstatesecuritiesregulators;

Targetgatekeepers;

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LeveragetheOfficeofComplianceInspectionsandExaminations(OCIE)tounderstandandmonitor

thelatestrisksandtoprovideeffectiveoversight;

Incentivizewhistleblowerstoreportwrongdoing;and

Marshaltechnologytoanalyzedataefficiently.

Eachof the first four elementshasbeen a constant featureof theCommission’s enforcement regime. The

CommissionroutinelyworkswiththeDepartmentofJusticetoconductparallelinvestigations,asevidenced

by recent insider trading investigations. Similarly, the Commission works with SROs, such as FINRA, to

conduct “sweeps” to target industry-widebehaviors thataredetrimental to investorsandcould jeopardize

the integrity of the financial markets. The Commission collaborates with the North American Securities

Administrators Association and state securities regulators to get intelligence on developments in state

securitiesmarketssothatitcantargetissuesbeforetheybecomesystemicproblems.

TheCommissionhasincreasinglytargeted“gatekeepers,”includingattorneysandaccountantssincepassage

oftheSarbanes-OxleyAct(SOX), andmorerecently ithastargetedbroker-dealerswhoviolatethemarket

accessrule.

OCIE has been the Commission’s “boots on the ground” to monitor risks posed by registrants since its

creationinMay1995.OCIEhasbeenasourceofreferralsfortheDivisionofEnforcementsinceitsinception.

Akeydifference today,however, is thatOCIEexaminers specialize indiscreteareasandareable tobetter

understandthebusinessestheyareexamining,andtheDivisionofEnforcementnowvaluesinvestigatingand

bringingnon-fraudenforcementactionsasitdoesbringinginsidertradingcases.

TheCommission’swhistleblowerbountyprogramhasbeeneffectivesinceenactmentoftheInsiderTrading

andSecuritiesEnforcementActof1988,whichmandatedpayments for tipsreporting insider trading. The

Dodd-Frank Wall Street and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank) provides a 10% - 30% bounty for

reporting violations of the securities laws in SEC or CFTC enforcement actions that result in monetary

sanctionsgreaterthan$1million.

TheCommission’sinvestmentintechnologyisthenewfeatureofitsenforcementprogramandmayhavethe

mostsignificantimpactonbroker-dealercompliancefunctions.TheCommissioncreatedtheCenterforRisk

and Quantitative Analytics (CRQA) with a mandate to develop quantitative methods to monitor signs of

potential wrongdoingandhighriskbehaviors.CRQAwillfeeditsfindingstotheDivisionofEnforcementto

investigate and prevent conduct that harm investors. The Commission has also developed the Advanced

BluesheetAnalysisProgramtoanalyzerelationshipamongmarketparticipantstoidentifysuspicioustrading

whichmay not be readily apparent. It also uses predictive analyses to spot trends, identify aberrational

performance, and analyze data from new data sources, such as Form PF. On the examination side, the

National Examination Analytics Tool (NEAT) enables the examiners to analyze millions of transaction

documents accurately within a short time, and enables OCIE to do more precise and sophisticated

examination.

Moreinformationaboutthelong-termeffectivenessoftheCommission’sanalyticstoolsisneeded.Basedon

recent releases from the Commission, the tools are working as intended, and have increased the

Commission’sabilitytodevisesophisticatedsurveillancesofbroker-dealeractivities.Forexample,theStaff

conducts linkanalyses,which looks forrelationshipbetweentwodisparatedatasources, in insider trading

cases. Linkanalysishasbeenusedtoanalyzephonerecordsandtradingdatatodetermineif twosuspects

hadaphonecallwiththe sameperson.Inanotherexample,theStaffhasusedlinkanalysistoanalyzelarge

volumesofbrokeragefirmdatatoidentifyinstanceswhenacorporationallegedlypurchasedandsolditsown

stock, with no significant gain or loss, to create fictitiously high trading volume in order to obtain bank

financing. The Staff has also used analytics to detect aberrational performance of a hedge fund that

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fraudulentlyclaimeditperformedbetterthanitspeersthroughoutgoodandbadmarkets. Theseanalyses

usetotaketheStaffweeksormonthstoperformandweresubjecttohumanerror.Today,theseanalysescan

becompletedwithindays.AsaresultoftheCommission’szero-tolerancefortechnicalviolationsorcontrol

failures,andtheirwillingnesstobringenforcementactionsfornon-fraudcases,complianceofficerswillneed

torethinkhowtheyfulfilltheirrolestoprotecttheirinstitutions.

BrokenWindowsPresentsOpportunitiesforCompliance

BrokenWindowspresents twopotentialopportunities forcompliance: (1)achance formoreassertiveness

with businessunits in instituting rigorous controls and testing those controlsmore frequently; and (2) an

openingtonegotiateformoreresourcestorespondtotheregulatoryenvironmentandgreatercooperation

fromotherareasofthefirm.

Broker-dealers are required by statute/regulations to have written supervisory policies and procedures

(WSPs)regardingtheiractivities.Complianceisapartnertoafirm’sbusinessunits.However,thegoalofthe

firmistomakemoneyforclients,shareholdersandemployees,andonerousandoverlyrestrictiveWSPsmay

beperceivedas limiting legitimatecommercialactivities forwhichbuy-in frombusinessunits isnecessary.

Broken Windows presents an opportunity to tighten existing WSPs to limit supervisory gaps, require

increasedcooperationbetweencompliancepersonneland linesupervisors,offermore trainingoncodesof

conductandethicsforemployeesandmanagement,andobtainmorecertificationsorattestationsregardinga

supervisor’sfulfillinghisorhersupervisoryobligation.

Moreover,BrokenWindowpoliciesmayhelpcomplianceobtainmoreresourcesandorganizationalsupport.

Currently,complianceinitiativesarebalancedagainstinterestsofthefirm,includingforexample,technology

and operations projects that drive the firm’s commercial success. Compliance can cite penalties/fines as

evidenceoftheCommission’saggressiveapproachtodemonstratethatlackofresources,includingpersonnel

or proper technology, create enterprise-wide legal, regulatory, and reputational risks that may have far-

reaching consequences for clients, counterparties, shareholders, and may cause personal liability to

supervisorsandmanagement.

TheintensityaroundtheBrokenWindowsenforcementpolicyarmscompliancewithtoolstomakethecase

toemployees to reportviolations to compliance in order for theorganization toavoid regulatory scrutiny,

fines,andpenalties. Compliancemustbalanceencouragingemployees toreportviolations internallywhile

not undermining the employee’s right (and perhaps the Commission’s expectation) to report securities

violations externally. As a starting point, compliance could appeal to the shared responsibility of each

employee to root out bad actors that violate the securities laws, jeopardize investors, and threaten the

integrity of the market. It could also promote methods within the organization to facilitate reporting

violations,suchastoll-freehotlines,anombudsmanposition,anonymouse-mailwebsitestoaccepttips,and

drop-boxestosubmittipsregardingviolations.

Without suggesting employees shouldnot report externally, compliance couldpoint out to employees that

reportingoutside(1)doesnotguaranteeanawardduetothehighthreshold(voluntarilyprovidingoriginal

informationand$1millionsanction),and(2)mayhaveanimpactontheorganization.Forexample,infiscal

year 2014, the Commission received 3620 tips ofwhich 139 (3.8%) received the designation of Notice of

CoveredAction(“NoCA”)andthereforeeligibleforanaward.SincetheinceptionoftheprograminAugust

2011, only 5.6% of tips (570 out of 10,193) have received the NoCA designation. The impact of non-

qualifying tips includebusinessdisruption, lostproductivity,costs toretain legalcounsel todefendagainst

regulatory investigations, and potential damage the firm’s reputation, and client or counterparty

relationships. Compliance should reiterate to employees that external reporting remains an option if the

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employeereportsaviolationinternallytoadesignatedpersonandtheviolationisnotaddressedtimely.This

approachbalances the firm’sgoalofoperating inanefficient, ethicalandcommerciallyreasonablemanner

withtheCommission’sinterestinprotectinginvestorsandthemarket.

ConsiderationsforComplianceProfessionals

Compliance personnel who actively work with a business unit to implement WSPs risks being labeled a

supervisor and may be subject to liability for aiding and abetting or failure to supervise. Compliance

personnelmayminimize the risk of being labeled a supervisor by establishing in meetingswith business

supervisors that although he or she is an integral part of the business unit’s operations, the business

supervisor is thedesignatedsupervisor. Compliancepersonnelmustdocument thesupervisoryreviewsof

thebusinessthatthesupervisorisresponsibleforoverseeing,andshouldperiodicallyobtaincertificationsor

attestations from supervisors indicating that she or he understands his or her supervisory role and is

undertaking his or her supervisory obligations. More generally, compliance should ensure that the firm’s

supervisory manual states that compliance personnel are solely responsible for activities within the

compliancedepartment.

Compliance personnel should have a predetermined process to investigate, track and document red flags.

Theymust act decisivelywhen red flags surfaceor if red flags arebrought to their attention. Compliance

personnel should document each red flag,which business supervisorswill address the red flag, andwhat

corrective action will be taken. Compliance personnel must take reasonable steps to follow up with the

businesssupervisortoensuretheissuehasbeenresolvedandthenmustmonitortheissuetoensureitdoes

notrecur.Compliancepersonnelshouldalsoshareinformationwithfirmmanagement(particularlyifared

flaginvolvesaseniormanager),andshouldbeprepared,andhaveaprocessinplace,toescalatemattersto

theBoardofDirectorsifmanagementfailstotakecorrectiveaction.

Membershiponfirmcommitteesisalsoanareaofconcernforcompliancepersonnel.AsevidencedinInthe

MatterofTheodoreUrban,membershiponcertainfirmcommittees maycausetheCommissiontodetermine

thatcompliancepersonnelwho,asamemberofacommittee,learncriticalinformationaboutaviolationhave

adutytoensurethatcorrectiveactionistaken.TheCommission’sapproachexposescompliancepersonnelto

personalliabilitythatcouldpotentiallyjeopardizecareersand,asaresult,maycausequalifiedcandidatesto

avoidcomplianceroles.

TheCommission’suseofdataanalytics toolshas increasedthepressureoncompliancepersonnel to ferret

outfraud, technicalviolations,andcontrolfailures.Oneapproachistoconductsurveillancessimilartothose

performed by the SEC’s analytics teams. Some reliable off-the-shelf surveillance may be available, but

compliancemay have to leverage internal information technology resources and get buy-in from business

units to build surveillance tools to counter the SEC. The associated costs may be significant since the

Commission’sdataanalyticsprogramiscontinuouslyevolvingandbroker-dealerswouldneedtokeeppace.

However,sincerepeatedviolationscouldleadtoincreasinglyseverefines,createtheimpressionthatthereis

a lack of institutional control at firms, personal liability, and could jeopardize firms’ reputation and client

relationships,firmmayhavelimitedchoice.

The other alternative is for compliance personnel to rely on the traditional approach, which is based on

developingstrongpoliciesandprocedures thatmatch the firm’sbusinessand the regulatoryenvironment,

anddiligentoversight.Thisapproachrequiresfrequentmonitoringandtestingoftheadequacyofbusiness

units’ compliancewithpolicesandprocedures. It also requires compliancepersonnel regularlyaskwhere

issuescouldoccur,whatcontrolsareinplacetopreventordetectproblems,andwhatresidualrisksremain

unmitigatedbysuchcontrols?

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BrokenWindowshashelped theCommissionbecomemoreefficient inhow it implements its enforcement

program. Yet,BrokenWindowsdoesnotrepresentasubstantivechange in theCommission’senforcement

policy. SOXandDodd-Frank reiterated to compliancepersonnel the need to establish strong controls and

vigilancetoprotecttheirfirms,investors,andtheintegrityofthemarket.Responsiblecompliancepersonnel

haveheardthatmessageandapproachtheirroleswithprofessionalismandintegrity.Broker-dealersshould

continuetoprioritizeimplementingexistingregulations,monitorcontrols,andthoughtfullyconsiderwhere

violationsmayoccurwithintheirorganizations,ratherthanoverreacttotheCommission’seffortstorebrand

itselfasatoughcoponthebeat.